Edentulous Patient Satisfaction with Conventional Complete Dentures.

Area of Science:

• Dentistry
• Prosthodontics
• Oral Health

Background:

• Edentulism negatively impacts quality of life and nutrition.
• Conventional complete dentures remain a primary treatment option.
• Factors influencing patient dissatisfaction with dentures require further clarification.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate determinants of patient satisfaction with complete maxillary and mandibular dentures.
• Investigated the role of sex, functional and aesthetic aspects, and bone resorption.
• Identify key factors for reducing patient dissatisfaction with complete dentures.

Main Methods:

• 70 patients (aged 34-81) received complete dentures made with standardized technology.
• Visual analogue scales assessed satisfaction with comfort, speech, chewing, aesthetics, stability, and cleaning.
• Bone resorption classified using the Kalk and de Baat (1989) method.

Main Results:

• No significant sex differences in bone resorption.
• Lower satisfaction reported for chewing (maxillary) and stability/comfort (mandibular) dentures.
• Multivariate analysis: comfort and aesthetics predicted overall satisfaction for both arches; mandibular stability predicted comfort.

Conclusions:

• Age, sex, and bone resorption degree did not correlate with patient satisfaction.
• Patient comfort and denture aesthetics are key predictors of satisfaction.
• Mandibular denture stability is crucial for patient comfort and subsequent overall satisfaction.